How to Host a Virtual STEM Family Event!
By Natasha Wilkerson
Originally Posted: March 9, 2021
Updated: September 2024
We miss our packed STEM Family Nights that included students and parents working together to launch rockets, build towers, and make slime! While we wait to bring back in-person events, we have put together a guide for hosting an all-virtual STEM event that will encourage families to step away from the computer and complete a hands-on project together!
From selecting activities to marketing, read on for 5 steps to host your own virtual STEM or STEAM family event!
Step 1: Select an Activity
The STEM activity is central to your STEM Family event, but consider first the goals of the program and any constraints. Here are some questions:
Who is the target audience?
What supplies do families have at home? Do you want to send kits?
What are the intended learning outcomes? Ex: increase interest in engineering, learn about STEM careers, etc.
An important consideration for a virtual event is choosing activities that use commonly available materials. I prefer to have families use recycled materials found at home versus sending home a kit of supplies.
STEM activities should allow for multiple solutions such as using an engineering design challenge with design constraints. For example, design a roller coaster with 3 turns that keeps a ball rolling for 10 seconds. Other examples include bird feeders and zip lines. Some additional considerations:
Select one activity for the entire school to participate in. This is a good option if you want to make it a competition for top designs
Select one activity per grade. These might fit a theme like space, nature, or biology.
Allow students to choose from a selection of activities.
Here are some examples of submissions for the roller coaster design challenge.
Check out our STEM Space At Home series for a selection of engineering challenges using materials found at home! These are led by an engineer, walk families through the design challenge, and include real-world, career, and science connections. Videos also have Spanish subtitles that are very useful for our events in San Antonio! Check out one of the videos below covering a virus protection challenge and featuring a virologist at Texas Biomedical Research Institute. This is one of our most popular STEM Family activities!
Step 2: Select Digital Platform
**PLEASE NOTE: Sadly, Flipgrid, which became Flip, is shutting down for good. If you are using Google Slides on a Chromebook or in Microsoft Edge, it has an option for recording videos in the slides. You may also find a list of other alternatives here.
If you haven’t heard of Flipgrid by now…well you have to check it out! Flipgrid is an online video response platform that allows for the recording and sharing of videos. Teachers create a class topic, often including a video of the teacher providing instruction, and students are able to respond with a short video and view other student responses.
For STEM family events, we create a group for the event. Families are provided an access code that allows them to view the instructional video, read instructions, and access a linked digital STEM journal. You can find the digital STEM journals (editable in Google Slides) as part of our virtual STEM Family event planning guide. Families then complete the activity and upload a video response showing their design in action! You can also ask specific prompts for the response video like “what happened during building and testing?” or “share one unique feature of your design.”
Step 3: Decide on Schedule
Consider how long you provide families to submit designs. A longer event may decrease motivation while a short event may not accommodate busy family schedules. Consider providing 2 - 3 days for students to complete the STEM challenge concluding with a finale event via live webinar. Sample timeline:
Send home flyer with activity instructions including a Flipgrid code. Ask families to start collecting recycled materials.
Families watch instructional video that includes science and career connections posted on Flipgrid or YouTube.
Families complete engineering challenge using materials found at home.
Families upload video of their project to Flipgrid or other digital platform. Make sure to have a clear deadline for submissions.
Participants are entered in raffle for a STEM prize. You can also have a competition for top designs, but make sure you have specific criteria.
Close with a live STEM Career Chat, announce raffle winners, and show a highlights video featuring top design submissions.
Step 4: Incentives & Marketing
In this distance learning world, incentives are a must to get the attention of students, especially if this is an optional event! end with a live STEM Night Career Chat that includes interviewing a STEM professional guest followed by a raffle prize drawing for participants. Entries into the raffle come from the families that uploaded videos to Flipgrid. When marketing, I make sure to highlight the STEM guest, cool raffle prizes, and other incentives I can provide such as homework passes. For ideas on raffle prizes, head over to our STEM gift guide. My favorite raffles include quadcopters, robots, and building sets.
Step 5: Host Event
Now go and make it happen! Form a planning committee to brainstorm ideas and support logistics. While a virtual event might not have the same energy as a jam-packed in-person STEM Family Night, you might enjoy not having to run around cleaning up slime and passing out refreshments!
And if you want more support for planning an awesome event, check out our Virtual STEM Planning Guide. With instructional videos, timeline, editable flyers, printed & digital student handouts, and more this planning and activity guide will help you navigate the challenges of hosting a family event completely online!
This guide includes the following activities all using simple materials (paper, cereal boxes, paper cups, tape, etc.) found at home. Each challenge has an editable student guide including a digital and printed version.
Roller Coaster
Space Lander
Virus Protection Device
Musical Instrument
Pirate Ship
Astronaut Suit
Superhero Arm
We wish you the best of luck in planning your STEM Family Virtual Event!
Ready to get back to in-person but not sure where to start? We’ve got you covered! Host your own stress free, hands-on, family-friendly event with this Family STEM Night Bundle, developed in collaboration with Pitsco Education! Assembling such an event on your own can be a logistic challenge, which is why this bundle streamlines the whole process from beginning to end. The Family STEM Night Bundle includes 11 hands-on, super fun stations with enough materials to support up to 100 families to participate!
